222 Birds of Colorado 



a few in winter, common in summer, and Plateau Valley in summer 

 only (Rockwell), Sweetwater Lake in winter (Cooke), La Plata co., 

 rather rare (Morrison). 



Habits. — Kingfishers are seldom found away form 

 rivers and lakes, where fishes form the bulk of their 

 fare ; though at times they may be met with far from 

 water, where they take to lizards, snakes and large 

 insects. They are rather unsocial and quarrelsome 

 birds, and two are to be seen together only in the breeding 

 season. Each individual or pair seem to have their 

 own range or beat along a stream, where they allow 

 no intruder. They sit perched on a branch overhanging 

 the water, or on a stone, often for hours, watching for 

 a fish. When one appears they rise in the air before 

 diving down after it. The fish is carried back to the 

 perch and swallowed head first. Occasionally they 

 hover over the water and dive from this position. 

 The note is rather shrill and they have, a characteristic 

 rattle. 



The nest is a tunnel in a sand-bank or soft cliff, from 

 four to fifteen feet in length ; it ends in a dome-shaped 

 cavity ; here the eggs are deposited without any true 

 nest, though as the same site is used year after year, 

 there is often a large accumulation of fish bones and 

 scales. The eggs, about six in number, are white, 

 subspheroidal and glossy, and average 1-34 x 1'04. 

 Dille gives June 5th as a date for fresh eggs. 



ORDER PICI. 



This order contains the Woodpeckers, a homogeneous 

 group, easily distinguished by both internal and external 

 characters ; bill stout and strong and used like a 

 hammer or chisel ; wing of ten primaries, the outer 

 one short but obvious ; tail of twelve rectrices, but the 



